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Volunteer with animals in Romania and support staff at a local animal shelter by helping to care for stray dogs. You’ll help with general care and maintenance, and train, exercise, and socialise with the dogs every day. This is a wonderful way to get practical experience working with animals, and help where it’s needed most.

The shelter we work with takes in stray dogs. Here, the dogs get medical checks and are sterilised. The ultimate goal is to find them a new home. The shelter is understaffed, so you have an important role to play with preparing the dogs for adoption and caring for them.

You’ll live and work in city of Brasov, and stay with a local host family. You’ll have an exciting and memorable time exploring a different country and learning about the culture and traditions.

Flexi Trips > Romania > Animal Care

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When you apply you only pay $295, which comes off the total price.

Looking to do more than one project? Call us on (+1) 212 244 7234 to see if we can offer a discount.

Personalized MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination

A free cultural awareness course

Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch

Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable

What's not included?

Flights

Visa costs (where applicable)

Is volunteering with animals in Romania right for me?

Do you love working with animals? Are you passionate about animal rights? Then our Animal Care Project in Romania is perfect for you!

You don’t need any previous experience to join. The local staff at the shelter will show you everything you need to do, and Projects Abroad staff are also there if you need them. All you need is compassion for animals, and a willingness to work hard.

This project runs throughout the year, and you can join at any time. You can join from as little as one week. However, we strongly recommend staying for longer so you can have a bigger impact at the shelter.

What will I be doing while working with animals in Romania?

Our Animal Care Project in Romania offers you loads of opportunities to help animals. Here are some of the tasks you will help with:

Assist local staff in taking care of stray dogs living in the shelter

Get to know the dogs during training and exercise sessions

Help with other daily tasks around the shelter, such as cleaning and running errands

Assist local staff in taking care of the dogs

One of the great things about volunteering at an animal shelter in Romania is the fact that you get to work directly with the animals. During your time as a volunteer, you’ll help with bathing and feeding the dogs living at the shelter. You will also spend plenty of time playing with them to help get them ready for adoption.

Your work may also extend to assisting a vet with basic surgical procedures in the small on-site veterinary clinic.

Get to know the dogs during training and exercise sessions

You will have plenty of time to get to know each of the dogs personally, as you take them for their daily walks. Exercising these animals regularly is important to keeping them healthy and happy.

You can even add more fun to this by training with them. Some may never have received any human guidance before, so you can teach them the basics, like sit, lie down, and fetch. Others may have come from a loving home and know a few tricks already, so you can keep them stimulated.

Help shelter staff with other daily tasks

While working with animals is undoubtedly the fun part of the project, you will also help out with other tasks. This could include cleaning the dog’s kennels, building new ones, and running daily errands when other staff members are busy.

Where you will be working as an Animal Care volunteer in Romania

Brasov

You will be based in the ancient city of Brasov. With its terracotta-coloured roofs, gothic spires, medieval gateways, baroque buildings, and pedestrian friendly streets, it’s almost like a fairy tale come to life. Although it may seem quaint and almost old-fashioned at first sight, the city is bursting with modern hustle and bustle.

Your working day will be spent at a non-profit organisation and animal shelter on the outskirts of the city. They host approximately 100 dogs at any given time.

Evenings and weekends will normally be your free time to explore. There are always other Projects Abroad volunteers around and plenty to see within Brasov and the Transylvania region in your spare time.

A typical day as an animal care volunteer in Romania

Your day will start with a healthy breakfast around your Romanian host family’s table. From here, you will head to the animal shelter using public transport or cycling. On your first day, our staff will accompany you to show you the way.

Your work day typically starts around 8am and finishes at around 5pm. In the mornings, you will help feed the dogs their morning meal. With so many dogs at the shelter at any given time, this could take a good chunk of your morning. Once you’ve finished with that, you will be able to help out with other necessary tasks around the shelter. This might include cleaning kennels, taking delivery of new dog food, or cleaning the reception area.

After a morning of hard work, you will get an hour and a half’s lunch break. If your host family lives close by, you can head home to eat and rest for a bit. Alternatively, you will be able to enjoy a packed lunch at the shelter.

During the afternoons, you will typically spend some time with the dogs. This would include taking them for walks, training them, or just playing with them in their kennels. As 5pm draws close, it’s feeding time again.

Evenings and weekends are your free time to explore. Make the most of your time in this magnificent country by going on weekend excursions with fellow volunteers. Also, enjoy plenty of meals with your local host family and spend time conversing with them. It’s the very best way to learn more about their life and culture.

What are the aims and impact of our Animal Care Project in Romania?

The aim of this project is to help improve quality of life for abandoned dogs in Brasov.

As an Animal Care volunteer, you will do this by working at a local animal shelter. You will help take care of stray dogs that are brought in, and ultimately, you’ll assist in finding them new homes. The shelter is also understaffed, and really needs extra pairs of helping hands. You’ll support their work by helping out with any other tasks that need to be completed.

Join our Animal Care placement in Romania and help us improve the lives of stray animals.

Management Plans

We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.

Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.

Measuring Our Impact

Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.

Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.

FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION

You'll stay with a host family in Brasov. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Romania and have a truly unique experience.

We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND FREE TIME

Volunteering in Romania will give you a unique taste of life in Eastern Europe. With a diverse range of activities, you’ll find plenty to do during your free time.

This is the ideal destination for architecture lovers, with stunning, old buildings lining the streets. The Biserica Neagră is one example of haunting gothic architecture, with its stone walls blackened by a fire that raged through the area in the 17th century.

It’s not just the buildings that are worth checking out, but the streets as well. More specifically, you can squeeze your way through one of the narrowest streets in Europe!

It’s worth taking a weekend trip to Transylvania to visit Bran Castle, the home of legendary Count Dracula. While you’re there, you can tour ASTRA Museum and delve into the magical world of Romanian folklore.

You’ll likely be amongst many other volunteers during your trip. This gives you the option to explore either on your own or in a group.

SAFETY AND STAFF SUPPORT

Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.

Meet the team in Romania

Meet the team in Romania

Alexandra Ichim

Country Director

Alexandra graduated from the Faculty of Literature and Languages in 2008. She loves travel, meeting people from different cultures and learning new languages. She discovered theatre life in high school when she took part in a local English drama group. Her role as drama supervisor is to guide and coordinate both the volunteers and the high school students in all the drama activities. She also organises social events for all volunteers in Romania and coordinates work for our journalism volunteers.

Meet the team in Romania

Diana Elena Szabo

Archaeology Supervisor

Diana was born in Roșia Montană, and she graduated from the Faculty of History and Literature with a Bachelor’s Degree in History in 2015. She started working on digging sites at the age of 18, and has been involved in many different archaeological digs. She loves working in the ceramic laboratory, where she restores broken pots found during digs. She loves to cook, read and travel and she enjoys making new friends.

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